The invention relates generally to a drive pin disc for an anilox roll. Current drive pin discs for anilox rolls, specifically those for Mark Andy P-Series printing presses, use a stationary quarter-inch dowel pin to engage with the servomotor. A servo-motor engages with the drive disc, and rotates the drive disc which in turn rotates the anilox roll. The servo motor includes a gear with a hardened pin bolted through it. This hardened pin is aligned with a stationary dowel pin on the exterior side of the drive disc. The hardened pin drives the drive disc by applying force against the dowel pin which in turn rotates the anilox roll. The hardened servomotor pin and the stationary dowel pin on the drive disc are not located on the axis of rotation. It's the parallel misalignment of the servo motor shaft to the anilox roll shaft that causes an elliptical effect. The elliptical motion causes the drive pins to wear down rapidly requiring constant replacement of the drive pin or the drive disc as a whole. If the flat edges are left they can cause chatter in the radial movement, which transfers to the image being printed. The chatter causes shadow lines in the printed image called gear marking, or barring in the printing industry. Gear marking or barrings are generally caused by bad gears or a differential in roll speed.
The prior art inventions require the shear forces of the servo motor and drive disc rotating the anilox roll to be absorbed by the stationary dowel pin. The dowel pins are not able to move or rotate which causes severe wear and tear on the dowel pins. Wear on the dowel pins can cause issues with printing such as marks in the prints. Wear can also cause the dowel pin to break of entirely. A device which provides a dowel pin that can move slightly and rotate would reduce the wear and tear on the dowel pins. By reducing the wear on the dowel pins, the drive discs will last longer which will reduce the costs of operating the printing press by reducing the downtime for repairs and reducing the costs of replacing the dowel pins or whole drive discs.